Thread: Intriguing inquiry, are floor-stand speakers always better than active speakers?

Hi guys,

Just a general wondering though, nowadays I've seen a lot of new active speakers, and truth to be told, I find them quite professional indeed, when I go into an audio shop and ask some advice, some might even encourage to purchase the bookshelf speakers, as they're more cost-effective and space-saving hahah.

All that asides, regarding the sound quality matter, it ain't bad at all, but I'm not sure if it's my living room just not that big or some technical matters, the sound experience is actually vivid, but yeah I also think when you put the extra circuit inside the speaker for amplifying use, it'd certainly affect the original performance more or less. Especially under this digital streaming era, every part seems to be specifically separated, so it can perform to its fullest, and lessen the interference between each device.

Anyways, let me know what you think, I'd be grateful, or maybe share you existing setup with us!

Best,

I had the KEF LS50 and didn't really enjoy them. They were pretty good, but couldn't compare to other systems I've had. Granted, much less $.

Originally Posted by preston8452

Hi guys,

Just a general wondering though, nowadays I've seen a lot of new active speakers, and truth to be told, I find them quite professional indeed, when I go into an audio shop and ask some advice, some might even encourage to purchase the bookshelf speakers, as they're more cost-effective and space-saving hahah.

All that asides, regarding the sound quality matter, it ain't bad at all, but I'm not sure if it's my living room just not that big or some technical matters, the sound experience is actually vivid, but yeah I also think when you put the extra circuit inside the speaker for amplifying use, it'd certainly affect the original performance more or less. Especially under this digital streaming era, every part seems to be specifically separated, so it can perform to its fullest, and lessen the interference between each device.

Anyways, let me know what you think, I'd be grateful, or maybe share you existing setup with us!

Best,

Just in the interests of accuracy here, when you connect the components of a system together with a set of interconnects or speaker cables, all their individual circuits are all now all...interconnected into one, larger, overall circuit. That's why they're called...interconnects!


Not only that, but any noise components on the ground plane(s) of one or more of any of these components is now shared among ALL the components. Because they are, you guessed it..interconnected! Doh! 😖

So, from a practically significant perspective, not sure it matters, per se, if the "amp" is located in it's own "box" or in the speaker cabinet as the "box". Like anything, it all comes down to the design of the overall system, not just any one individual "component".

Just sayin'...

Now, to extend that somewhat further, one of the advantages of a dual-mono design is that noise on the ground plane of one channel is not "interconnected" to any noise on the ground planes of the other channel. However, if the dual-mono circuit topology shares a common transformer in the power supply, unless that transformer is of a specific design, noise on ground planes can cross between the channels at the transformer. This is one of the advantages of monoblocks for amps, in that at least their amplification circuits and power supplies are isolated from the other channel's circuits and transformer (though that does not mean they could not "share" noise components produced by the upstream components e.g. the preamp or source components.")

Last but not least, we're now figuring out that some of the reasons that "digital components" or digital component interfaces have historically had a reputation for not sounding as good in high-end systems as analog vinyl or tape sources, is that digital circuits and interfaces are particularly susceptible to a whole other class of noise components, not just the classic RFI or EMI, but noise components e.g. phase noise from crap clocks in said computing/networking/digital devices, as well as low- and high-source impedance leakage current, most usually arising from the ubquitous use of the notorious switch-mode power supply used for said computing/networking devices. And then you also have common-mode noise as a particular noise factor impacting the performance of digital interface cables, e.g, Ethernet, USB, and clock cables. And, guess what? All these noise components can ride on the ground planes of these devices as well as...the interconnected amplification components! There's that pesky noise on components' ground planes again.

BTW, just one of these noise components, leakage current, causes threshold jitter which, in turn, causes...timing errors. Oh, and so does clock phase noise. D'oh! 😖

And our brains are exquisitely sensitive to timing errors, which is why we have expensive femtoclocks in uber high-end digital set-ups. Which themselves are exquisitely sensitive to...vibration and temperature, so we need to then mount the crystal oscillators for those femtoclocks in oven-controlled and vibration-damped sub-systems.

Bottom-line is that noise is pervasive, persistent, and pernicious.

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Now, to extend that somewhat further, one of the advantages of a dual-mono design is that noise on the ground plane of one channel is not "interconnected" to any noise on the ground planes of the other channel. However, if the dual-mono circuit topology shares a common transformer in the power supply, unless that transformer is of a specific design, noise on ground planes can cross between the channels at the transformer. This is one of the advantages of monoblocks for amps, in that at least their amplification circuits and power supplies are isolated from the other channel's circuits and transformer (though that does not mean they could not "share" noise components produced by the upstream components e.g. the preamp or source components.")

Any stereo amplifier that claims to be dual mono but shares a common power transformer between the channels is not true dual mono.

Originally Posted by preston8452

Hi guys,

Just a general wondering though, nowadays I've seen a lot of new active speakers...

Not all active speakers are bookshelf speakers, many are floor standers and can be quite impressive (and expensive). There are good theoretical reasons for matching amps to speakers in this way but of course it all depends on the implementation and execution.

The argument for powered speakers is the manufacturer can ideally match all components, ie amp,driver, crossover & cabinet, for optimum performance in one packge. Where we buy amp, speaker etc. not really knowing how they work together. We do research and have an idea but the powered speaker has all that done to be sure all the parts are optimum. And, they do that to a price point. For example, what's the best amp, driver and cabinet design we can put together and retail at $X.

Two of the best I've heard was Salk and ATC. ATC is very dynamic and live, Salk just sounded beautiful. Goldman also has a floorstanding powered set up that sounded great.

If done correctly powered can be quite effective, in fact, ATC was doing a demo of same speakers powered and passive with external amplification. In that demo have to admit I'd take the powered.

Originally Posted by preston8452

Hi guys,

Just a general wondering though, nowadays I've seen a lot of new active speakers, and truth to be told, I find them quite professional indeed, when I go into an audio shop and ask some advice, some might even encourage to purchase the bookshelf speakers, as they're more cost-effective and space-saving hahah.

All that asides, regarding the sound quality matter, it ain't bad at all, but I'm not sure if it's my living room just not that big or some technical matters, the sound experience is actually vivid, but yeah I also think when you put the extra circuit inside the speaker for amplifying use, it'd certainly affect the original performance more or less. Especially under this digital streaming era, every part seems to be specifically separated, so it can perform to its fullest, and lessen the interference between each device.

Anyways, let me know what you think, I'd be grateful, or maybe share you existing setup with us!

Best,

I heard that brand, good indeed.

Originally Posted by puroagave

I had the Kii Three actives, arguably was and still is at the cutting edge with DSP, etc. They did bass very well w/o a sub or the lower BXT modules. These could be an end-game speaker choice for some people, primarily if you have limited space and stream or listen to files 100% of the time.

Using active crossover filters and an amplifier for each driver makes for a speaker that is less dependent on the interconnects and amplifiers driving them. Speaker design is a bunch of tradeoffs, and by integrating amplification and active crossovers, the savvy designer can eliminate a large number of these tradeoffs to produce a fine sounding loudspeaker.

The downside is the customer base. If you can't apply cable and amplifier selection and synergy magic to your speakers, you will lose your audiophile club membership card. Audiophile friends will stop coming by. Neighbors will laugh at you behind your back. Your family will move to another area code.

Take your active speakers and add separate subwoofers and some well designed DSP and you can optimize the system for best imaging and best in-room bass response.

That's something that is devilishly difficult to do with full range floorstanders.